Madison Keys came back from a set down to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open Wednesday, beating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The American 19th seed moved into the last four at Melbourne Park for the third time, 10 years after her first, where she will meet either Iga Swiatek or Emma Navarro for a place in the final. Keys, who will be 30 next month, leads the WTA Tour with 12 wins this season and is now on a 10-match unbeaten streak after lifting the Adelaide title.

She had to show her resilience to fight back against Svitolina, who held the upper hand in the early stages.

“I felt like I kind of just had to start playing a little bit more aggressive and try to get to the net a little bit quicker,” admitted Keys, who had battled past former Melbourne finalists Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins on her way to the last eight.

“She was, you know, controlling a lot of the points and making me run.

“So I felt like I needed to try to get the advantage a little bit quicker.

“And luckily, I was able to do that,” added Keys, who beat world number six Jessica Pegula in the Adelaide final and will now move back into the top 10 in the rankings.

The first set began in cagey fashion until the eighth game, when Svitolina converted her first break point as Keys went long to take a 5-3 lead.

She created three set points with an ace out wide and then sealed the opener in 33 minutes when Keys netted.

Keys, who was playing defensively in the first set, upped her pace at the start of the second.

The American created three break points in the fourth game but Svitolina negotiated them safely, the third via a lightning reflex volley at the net.

Keys was not to be denied, creating two more openings at 3-2, securing the second with a forehand winner from the baseline and serving out to level the match after 76 minutes.

With only a single dropped serve each, the next break was likely to be the pivotal one.

Keys created two more chances to break at 2-2, jumping all over the second of them with a backhand return winner to move ahead.

The winners kept flowing and she sealed her place in the last four in 1hr 53min.

Elina Svitolina delivered a stunning first-set comeback before overwhelming Veronika Kudermetova Monday to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, but the Ukrainian did not shake hands with her Russian opponent. Svitolina, the 28th seed, followed up her shock win over world number four Jasmine Paolini in the third round with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over the world number 75 on Rod Laver Arena. It put her into the last eight at Melbourne Park for a third time, but her first since 2019. “That was a lifetime ago,” said Svitolina after wrapping up the match in 1hr 23min. “You know, so many things happen — having a daughter, Sky, then surgery as well. I’m really pleased with the performance throughout this tournament.”

Svitolina refused the usual net pleasantries between players during the match, as is the case for all Ukrainian players because of the war in their homeland.

Organisers displayed a notice on giant centre court screens explaining to spectators that no handshake would take place and asking for “respect in these difficult circumstances”. 

Kudermetova raced into a 4-1 lead with a double break at the start, but that was as good as it got for her. 

Svitolina, who roared back from a set down against Paolini in round three, showed her fighting qualities again to recover the deficit and lead 5-4.

The 27-year-old Kudermetova called for a medical timeout at the changeover with the physio working on her back and stomach.

The powerful Svitolina had the wind in her sails and completed a spectacular turnaround on her second set point.

“I was just trying to fight, you know, for this fighting spirit,” said the 30-year-old Svitolina.

“I mean, the only thing I can do when the things are not going your way, you just try to really put your head down and get back to work.”

Kudermetova headed off court between sets and returned clutching a notebook.

Whatever was written in it had little effect as Svitolina kept up the pressure and broke for a 3-1 lead and cruised to victory, dropping just one game in the last 12 of the match.

Svitolina will face Elena Rybakina or Madison Keys for a place in an Australian Open semi-final for the first time.

She has reached the last four in Grand Slams on three previous occasions, at Wimbledon in 2019 and 2023 and the US Open in 2019.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner raced to victory at the Australian Open on Saturday to sweep into the last 16 as Iga Swiatek demolished Emma Raducanu. Also into the second week is 38-year-old Gael Monfils after he stunned fourth seed Taylor Fritz — with the veteran’s wife Elina Svitolina also enjoying a shock win immediately after on the same court. “It’s really a great day for us today, beating top-four players and playing great tennis,” said Ukraine’s Svitolina.

American qualifier Learner Tien, 19, won in straight sets to extend his fairytale run on his debut in Melbourne.

But Danielle Collins, the pantomime villain after thanking hecklers for “paying my bills” in the previous round, lost and was booed.

Italian world number one Sinner dropped a set for the first time in 14 matches in the second round.

But there were no such wobble against the unseeded Marcos Giron on Rod Laver Arena as he sprinted home 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 2hr 1min, slamming 35 winners and eight aces.

Awaiting him next is either Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic or Danish 13th seed Holger Rune.

“If I want to go on in this tournament I have to improve,” said the 23-year-old Sinner.

French showman Monfils rolled back the years to storm back and defeat the American Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.

The unseeded Monfils, who hit a career-high ranking of six in 2016 but is now 41st, is enjoying a late-career flourish.

A week ago he became the oldest singles champion in ATP Tour history when he swept to victory at the Auckland Classic.

Monfils faces another American in 21st seed Ben Shelton, who is a big fan.

“I think that any time he’s on the court, it’s a box-office match,” said Shelton.

Monfils is married to Svitolina, who emulated his giant-killing efforts when she defeated world number four Jasmine Paolini, also on Margaret Court Arena. Svitolina came though 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.

“I warmed up the court for her,” joked Monfils.

Tien became the youngest man to reach the fourth round since Rafael Nadal in 2005 when he overcame injured Frenchman Corentin Moutet.

The gifted teenager won 7-6 (12/10), 6-3, 6-3 with Moutet collapsing clutching his leg in the third set before gamely carrying on.

“Honestly it feels pretty crazy to be in the second week,” he said.

Tien stunned three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev in a five-set epic in the previous round.

Home hope Alex de Minaur, the eighth seed, went through in four sets against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and will face American Alex Michelsen for a place in the quarter-finals.

Rampant Swiatek

In a one-sided battle of former US Open champions, Swiatek romped to a 6-1, 6-0 triumph in a statement victory over Raducanu as she pursues a first Melbourne crown.

Emma Navarro, the eighth seed from the United States, joined the Pole in the next round with a gritty three-set win over Ons Jabeur.

Sixth seed Elena Rybakina also advanced despite a back problem.

“I felt like the ball is listening to me,” Swiatek said after rattling off 11 straight games in a brutal display against Britain’s Raducanu on Rod Laver Arena.

The 23-year-old Swiatek is a five-time major winner but she has never gone beyond the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.

She faces world number 128 German Eva Lys next.

Lys beat Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in three sets to become the first women’s singles “lucky loser” to reach the fourth round since the event moved to Melbourne Park in 1988.

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina of Kazakhstan needed a medical timeout to treat a back spasm before winning 6-3, 6-4 against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.

Asked if her back would be OK, she replied: “Not really. So I will see my physio and hopefully he does some magic.”

Rybakina will face Madison Keys after she swatted aside fellow American Collins 6-4, 6-4, with Collins getting booed in and out of the arena.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are all in action on Sunday.